Last Call for Spider Football (...at U of R Stadium)

The #4 ranked and the defending FCS National Champion Richmond Spiders will be playing their last regular season game at old University of Richmond Stadium. Though the stadium is far outdated and becoming more of a burden to the university with each year that passes, it is a great place to watch a game. The natural grass playing field and excellent sightlines make just about anywhere within the stadium a good place to watch the game.

Built in 1929, University of Richmond Stadium, aka City Stadium, cost the City of Richmond about $80,000 to build. With a capacity at around 22,000 people, U of R Stadium is not exactly logical for the University to maintain, even though the lease is impossible to beat. The City of Richmond leases the stadium to U of R for $1 a year in exchange for the university upkeeping the stadium. However, the stadium does not exactly have the amenities of a modern athletic facility. Spider football will be moving to First Market Stadium following the completion of the $25 million dollar renovation which will allow it to seat around 9000.

Some things I will miss about University of Richmond Stadium

1. The concentration on tailgate, not enough people tailgate events anymore. There is just something about drinking out of the back of a car in a parking lot before a sporting event, concert, work(Okay, so that is not socially acceptable, but who wants to be that. The days would definately be quicker), etc. They will eventually be replaced by lodge pregame hangouts.
2. Kids riding cardboard boxes down hills. I support every parent that allows this to happen for multiple reasons. One, it looks like a lot of fun. Two, if the game gets boring you can always take a glance over for 5 minutes and one kid sliding down will undoubtedly take out another kid walking back up. Three, some dad will try to ride a box down, stop short and face plant into the dirt.
3. The Men's Bathrooms... Sorry for the idea of a bathroom as a memorable point, but with all of this green initiative, there is no way that they will have a large wall to pee on. The idea of peeing on a wall, legally and it being kosher is an idea that will be missed by this young man.
4. Convenient Parking- The University of Richmond Campus cannot facilitate the parking needs of a football crowd near E. Claiborne Robins Stadium. There will be many who will have to trek from the Westhampton side of campus/ the Intramural Fields near the University Forest Apartments is where I hear they are planning to park many of the cars.

But, gentlemen there is much to look forward to next year in the form of Lodge Hangouts before the games and a modern stadium. And lets look towards the end of this season, beating the William & Mary Tribe this weekend and bringing back another National Championship to Richmond.

Broventures of Sorts

Okay, I get it. I fell into some apathy myself and have not continued to post enough on this site. Yet, one could say that "bro-ventures" may have had something to do with it (Excuses).

Through my own experience in Beta Beta, I have noticed that brothers will drive hours for a chance to hang out and find their ways into derelict behavior together whether it is a graduation party (Summer is full of those little excuses to meet up with brothers), someone has rented out a beach house (Bad idea for an open invitation to an entire fraternity), or just a random weekend someone extends an invitation to . And in my own experience, I have noticed that invitations that include even the allusion to kegs will automatically attract at least 10 brothers to crash your house. Yet, one could not be happier to clean up Domino's off some walls, Champagne corks sprayed around rooms and empty cans of Natural Light strewn through every room.

Yet, Broventures seem to take on an even more interesting and more meaningful tone when they are guys that you cannot just walk to their apartment or dorm room, or even take the 5 minute drive to their house. These are the adventures that make this brotherhood so strong that 40-50 years down the road make each brother as close if not closer than they were when they attended U of R. The bond that never dies, AEKDB.

Brother Jay Wright submitted this story and picture of some of the 70's brothers bro-venture to Tampa:

"The 70’s were revisited in Tampa/St. Petersburg in January. Brothers Kevin Hutchinson, Steve Murphy, Jim Sutherland, Hil Beck, Rob Bruns, Chris Mullen, and Jay Wright spent a long weekend at the beach. The major surprise was that no one was arrested. The 70's brothers have instituted a series of misadventures aptly called “club meetings.” There have been meetings in the Richmond area, Norfolk and New York City and can be called at any time in any place. From the picture, you can tell that the group is not exclusive and welcomes new attendees at every event. Note Brothers Beck and Murphy in their Cuban shirts sampling prize cigars while in Ybor City inside Tampa. You are never too old to sample the good life."

Brothers Hil Beck and Steve Murphy